Estate agent boss slams government housing policy

“… Paul Smith, chief executive of Haart estate agents, said: “Affordability is clearly reaching a critical juncture as the average loan size increases whilst the average income decreases. Although rising first-time buyer borrowing demonstrates the appetite for home ownership in the UK, young people should not be left to stretch beyond their means, and government should intervene with a tax break as a quick and straight-forward way to help them get onto the ladder.

“Theresa May’s legacy on home ownership has so far been a disaster. The ‘just about managing’ are further away from owning their own home than they ever have been, and the government’s feeble housing white paper did not go anywhere near enough to get housebuilders building and the market moving.”​